WEEKLY ATHLETICS RECAP

Chabot sports roundup, Aug 30

FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW: IT’S ‘GO TIME’ FOR
GLADIATORS

By
Matt
Schwab

New Chabot head football coach Eric Fanene has a
‘can’t wait’ tone of voice these days.

That’s because Chabot will open the season against
Siskiyous on Saturday at Gladiator Stadium. All that
offseason commitment, team-bonding, weight lifting,
and strategizing has led to Fanene’s first game week
as a college head coach.

“We play fast
and we’re enthusiastic and we play really hard-nosed
defense,” Fanene said of his approach.

Chabot is fresh off a strong effort in a scrimmage
against Santa Rosa Junior College, ranked ninth in a
state preseason poll.

“We went out there and we dealt with them very
well,” Fanene said. “We learned a lot about our
team. A lot of good players that we were hoping to
see do well did well.”

On Chabot’s first offensive play, dynamic sophomore
Deangelo Stubbs of Irvington zipped through a hole
and raced 70 yards into the end zone: Statement made
by Stubbs and the road graders up front.

“Very first play, that was awesome,” Fanene said.

The overall effort seemed like a significant first
step for Fanene’s Gladiators. The defense looks
stout and the offense is piloted by
quarterback
Johnny O’Brien, a returning starter who appears to
be sitting on a big season, much like Stubbs.

Fanene took over the reins after longtime successful
coach Danny Calcagno resigned after the 2016 season.
The past six years Fanene has served as Chabot’s
defensive line and special teams coach and
recruiting coordinator. He played at Santa Rosa and
Winona State, and was defensive
coordinator at Marin, Mendocino, and Santa Rosa.

Defense is in
his football DNA.

“The last
couple of years even though we’ve had great
defenses, we’ve lived in the shadow of our
offenses,” Fanene said. “That’s basically it. I’m a
defensive guy. Danny was an offensive guy. Our
offense has always been in the top five to 10 in the
state.”

Fanene says
he wants the defense to be in the top five in the
state every year.

Chabot leaned
on the run game, but Fanene plans to use the pass to
set up the run and to slow the team’s offensive
tempo overall. He wants to milk the clock a little
more and keep his defense fresh.

“We’re a
quick-passing team,” Fanene said. “We ran the ball
well (against Santa Rosa), but I wouldn’t say that
we’re a pound-the-rock team anymore. We’re more
balanced.”

The offensive
coaching staff has undergone a near-complete
renovation. New offensive coordinator Mike Clark of
Vallejo, who was the Diablo Valley quarterback coach
last season, has an impressive resume. Clark has
coached at the University of Texas and with the
Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals in defensive
quality control, among other jobs.

“He’s been
around,” Fanene said of Clark. “He’s a football
coach, that’s his passion. We’re lucky to land him.”

The defensive
staff remains intact with defensive coordinator
Jerome Manos and line coach Pete Quesinberry. Former
Chabot and Northern Arizona player Eddie Horn has
returned to coach the secondary.

BOUNCE-BACK
O’BRIEN: In the first game last season, O’Brien
suffered a shoulder injury on his non-throwing arm,
sat out two games and then reinjured the shoulder
against De Anza, forcing him out for the season. But
he’s ready to roll now.

“Throwing
mechanics are fine,” Fanene said of O’Brien. “He’s
getting coached up well by our new offensive
coordinator. He was slinging it (against Santa
Rosa).”

Before going
down against De Anza, O’Brien completed 9 of 13
passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
In four games, he was 53-of-87 passing (60.9
percent) with six touchdowns.

RUNNING MEN:
In addition to Stubbs, the Gladiators have a
talented cast of running backs, including Mt. Eden
product Jocquil Veazey, who ran for 2,058 yards (No.
3 in state) and 22 touchdowns as a senior. “We have
a lot of talent,” Fanene says. “Usually Chabot runs
with like four or five running backs, and we have
like seven and four of them are really good.”

O-LINE BEEF:
The offensive line boasts three returning starters:
Brandon Finamore of Arroyo (6-6, 285), Andre Johnson
of Skyline (6-3, 305) and Sione Hafoka of San Mateo
(6-4, 310). Hafoka started last year before
suffering a broken arm against Butte. “All three of
those guys are getting major Division I interest
right now, especially Brandon and Sione. They’re big
bodies,” Fanene said. Two freshmen standouts are
center Kapu Fonua of Serra (6-0, 286) and tackle
Alex Osibin of Dougherty Valley (6-3, 295).

CATCHING ON:
Key returner Malik Henderson of Castro Valley was
No. 2 in the team in catches last season behind Josh
Revay with 28 for 335 yards. Malik Langham of
Florida is also looking good. Austin Camel of
Stockton and Keoni Keanini of Hawaii are also vying
for playing time.

D-LINE POWER:
Defensive line is a huge strength area for the team.
“D-line is stout. It’s probably the deepest D-line
since I’ve been at Chabot the past six years, the
deepest we’ve ever had,” Fanene said. “We’ve got
some dudes over there.” Tackles Hau Moala of
Tennyson (5-11, 255) and Helsinki, Finland import
Roope Lindfors (5-11, 240) lead the charges, along
with ends Osbourne (Ozzy) Seuteni of Alaska (6-2,
250) and Antrey Singleton of Georgia (5-11, 255),
who played tackle last year. The “giant” second
group is also of starter quality on a squad that
rotates lineman in liberally. “We have guys that are
6-5 and 6-7 that play in the second group,” Fanene
said. “We have a good, solid eight that could
probably start for any team in the state.”

LINEBACKER
‘LIGHTS OUT’: Devon Vaenuku of Vallejo was starting
until he pulled his hamstring, and then Le-Anthony
Grey of American Samoa stepped up and was “lights
out” against Santa Rosa, Fanene said. “He set the
tone of the whole scrimmage. The first play of the
scrimmage he just killed the running back, so he’s
really good.” Devon's older brother, Sammy, also
looked good in the scrimmage. Devon and Sammy also
happen to be Fanene’s nephews. Weakside linebacker
Ethan Owens of Tracy is one of the most improved
players after shirting last year. “He’s been a
great, great surprise this year,” Fanene said.

SECONDARY
HAMMERS: Free safety Titus Sullivan of Dougherty
Valley is a good fit for the new-look defense, which
is switching from a base-cover three to an
aggressive style in which the safeties are very
involved in stopping the run. Dante
Griffith-Johnson, a 100-meter track star out of
Emery High, is an aggressive and explosive. Top
defensive back Lakevion Thomas Jr. of Oakland is a
“great kid and great leader.” Fanene said. On the
other side, big Jelifer Alphonse of Miami and Karee
Khaleel of San Leandro High, an impressive athlete,
are vying for the starting spot.

SPECIAL
TEAMS: New kicker Jason Castro of Amador Valley is
working on his consistency, and Stubbs and DJ
Johnson of Florida, who has returned from a knee
injury, are both explosive return men.

BIG SHOES TO FILL: Calcagno's
Gladiators won six conference championships (2004,
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) in his highly
successful run, advancing to the state playoffs
twice (2014, 2015) and winning the 2015 Bulldog Bowl
championship. He was conference coach of the year
six times and state coach of the year once. “I’m
very lucky to have come after Danny. We pretty much
run our practices the same. He left the program in
good standing,” Fanene said.